Brazil bans X

Even VPN access is banned

Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), has been banned in Brazil, one of the world's largest internet markets.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban after X failed to appoint a new legal representative in the country by a given deadline.

Millions of users were left unable to access X on Saturday morning, as ISPs and mobile operators enforced the order.

The ban forced many Brazilians to explore alternative social media platforms. Bluesky, which was launched last year as an alternative to X, said it saw a surge of nearly 500,000 new users from Brazil in just two days.

"No-man's land"

The dispute between Musk and the Brazilian government has been escalating for months.

In April Justice Moraes, who has been instrumental in cracking down on disinformation and extremist content, ordered X to suspend dozens of accounts accused of spreading disinformation.

X was also ordered to appoint a new legal representative in the country, as well as to block accounts linked to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been accused of inciting violence in the country.

Elon Musk, who has frequently clashed with regulators and governments around the world, accused Moraes of censorship and undermining free speech. The public attacks further strained relations between X and the Brazilian authorities.

In his ruling on Friday, Moraes accused X of treating the social network "like a no man's land—a veritable land without law" by allowing the spread of hate speech and misinformation on the platform.

The ban has sparked a heated debate in Brazil. While Musk's supporters argue that it is a violation of free speech (legally, it's not), critics contend that X has been complicit in the spread of disinformation and extremism.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva supported court's decision.

"Any citizen, from anywhere in the world, who has investments in Brazil, is subject to the Brazilian Constitution and Brazilian laws. Therefore, if the Supreme Court has made a decision for citizens to comply with certain things, they either have to comply or take another course of action," Lula said in an interview with Radio MaisPB.

Former President Bolsonaro said on Instagram that X's departure from Brazil was "another blow to our freedom and legal security."

Judge De Moraes ordered X to remain suspended until it complies with his orders, and has also imposed fines on people who use VPNs to access the platform.

The Brazilian Bar Association said on Friday it would request the Supreme Court to review the fines imposed on citizens using VPNs or other means to access X.

"I've used VPNs a lot in authoritarian countries like China to continue accessing news sites and social networks," Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said, according to AP News.

"It never occurred to me that this type of tool would be banned in Brazil."

The ban in Brazil is the latest in a series of legal challenges Musk is facing. In recent months, he has also clashed with the European Union over content moderation, and faced criticism for his handling of X's finances.

The EU launched a formal investigation into X last year, focused on examining the effectiveness of measures to counter the dissemination of illegal content.